Data from Wesana Health indicates that administration of imipramine given three weeks following a psilocybin loading dose provided a 39 per cent improvement in depressive behaviours from the psilocybin loading dose alone.
The results also suggest that a second administration of imipramine given four weeks after a psilocybin loading dose provided a reduction of 45 per cent in depressive behaviours.
Wesana chief scientific officer, Mark Wingertzahn, stated: “These results demonstrate that psilocybin has the ability to potentiate the effects of antidepressant medications. These data could signal a shift in how we develop future clinical treatments for depression using both psilocybin and anti-depressants to optimise outcomes.”
Around 10 to 30 per cent of people do not respond to anti-depression therapy – creating a large need for new therapeutic options.
Wesana, which is undertaking a functional animal study to determine the effect of psilocybin treatment on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), anxiety and depression, that only 44 per cent of TBI patients with major depressive disorder have received antidepressants or counselling.
With limited evidence supporting the efficacy of antidepressants in the treatment of post-TBI depression, the new findings from Wesana suggest that combination therapy could provide more consistent and robust effects over time.
Wesana Founder and CEO, Daniel Carcillo, stated: “I’m proud of the work my team has done to continue investigating the full potential of psilocybin alone and in combination with other medications in order to one day provide tailored medication regimens that have an optimised benefit: risk profile.
“I look forward to further investigations to address the massive need in our communities today.”
Wesana – which has been backed by former heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson – is expecting results from its psilocybin-TBI study by early Q4 2021.
The company is also looking toward an agreement to study the use of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat symptoms associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC).
